


This is Not a Swan Song

by OmeletteAche



Category: The Swan (1956)
Genre: Angst and Romance, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25343206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmeletteAche/pseuds/OmeletteAche
Summary: A happy ending for Nicholas and Alexandra, set after the ending of the movie.
Relationships: Princess Alexandra/Dr Nicholas Agi
Kudos: 1





	This is Not a Swan Song

Alexandra sat on her windowsill looking up at the stars. Nicholas had only been gone two days. If he were here, no doubt he would be giving her a masterclass in astronomy, while they looked up that the sky together. The palace hardly felt like home when he wasn’t there to excitedly launch into a scientific explanation of something at the drop of a hat.

She had asked the housekeeper for Nicholas’ forwarding address earlier -- apparently, he had moved to his aunt’s, but Alexandra couldn’t think of what to write. After a dozen attempts, she managed to scrawl out a few incoherent words. Surely, he would know what she meant.  
The letter was returned the following day, with a note from Nicholas’ aunt attached. He didn’t live there, the note explained. He had moved back to France, to take a position at the university there. His new French address was neatly written underneath.

Alexandra sobbed. She spent the next few weeks in a daze. Her mother, of course, was delighted that “that ghastly tutor” had “fled”, after his “bad behaviour”. Alexandra didn’t have the energy to argue. She felt like a ghost in the house, completely unconnected to her body. Prince Albert was still staying with them, which her mother was thrilled about, and doubtless he would propose in a few days. 

She woke one day in a cold sweat. Only a few days left of freedom, she knew – and her only chance to avoid her fate was slipping away. She felt a flicker of something inside her. On the day Nicholas had left, Albert had said she must be like a swan. The way he'd described it sounded almost glamorous --majestic, cool, indifferent, doomed to a life of loneliness on the lake. But she didn’t want to be a swan. She’d rather be a damn duck or chicken if it meant she could be with Nicholas. And if she couldn’t be with him… well she didn’t want to be married to Albert. She knew it now. She couldn’t live a lie another day. Not when the possibility of being stuck in that lie for the rest of her life hung over her like the sword of Damocles.  
She told her mother she couldn’t go through with it. It was a short conversation, at least from her side. Her mother had started wailing before she had finished the sentence. Luckily, Alexandra had packed her bags beforehand, having known how her mother would react. As her mother took a breath to continue screeching, Alexander managed to drop her second bombshell. “Mother, I’m going to France, to visit cousin Marie. Today.” It was a lie, but she couldn't find it within herself to care. She didn’t wait for a reply. She picked up her bags and ran out the door and into the waiting carriage.

It took her at least half an hour to stop shaking in shock at her own actions, at which point she was too far from the palace to turn back. She arrived at the French border by evening, and spent a long, fitful night in a dingy inn. Sleep-deprived as she was, she bolted awake at daybreak, adrenaline already pulsing in her veins. She distractedly prepared herself for the day ahead. It was her first time dressing herself without the help of ladies’ maid, and looking in the mirror she couldn’t help but think she looked a little more… rumpled than usual. But, she supposed, the sooner she got used to that, the better. 

And so, she made her way. She had no plans to visit her cousin Marie, though she might have to if she ran out of money. Instead, her destination was a two-hour carriage ride from Paris into the countryside. The air was crisp and warm, the sky clear, and trees were all in their green finery, their leaves rustling gently in the wind. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the sun on her face. She almost drifted off. And then the carriage came to a stop. She felt her heart stop too. A beautiful cottage stood in front of her. Rambling roses adorned the stone walls, and the garden was bordered by neatly trimmed hedges and shaded by maple trees. She paid the driver and climbed down onto the mossy, stone-paved walkway up to the house, her heart hammering in her chest. She reached the garden gate, and nervously straightened her dress, and palmed her flyaway hair. Before she could open the gate, she saw him, Nicholas, sitting beneath the trees on a garden chair, book in hand. She studied him, enjoying the sight, drinking in every line of his profile. He looked different than usual, though no less handsome; his hair, a fraction longer, his skin perhaps a shade more tanned. He looked so peaceful, in the dappled light, that it seemed almost criminal to disturb him. But it was too late --he must have heard her, for he stirred and looked up. She saw as confusion changed to recognition in his eyes. A jolt ran through her as his gaze met hers. He came to open the gate, all the time looking at her with such an intensity that she felt like she might combust on the spot.  
She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t have opened her mouth at that instant if she tried. 

Luckily, he spoke first. “I thought you couldn’t possibly be as beautiful as I remembered, but I was wrong.” His voice, with his lilting accent, was sweet as honey to her ears.  
She felt tears spring to her eyes, blurring her vision. “I’m sorry. For everything I said when you left.” I really should have written before I came. But I couldn’t bring myself to find out that you didn’t still…” She trailed off.

“Love you?” 

She nodded; her eyes downcast.

“Of course I still do.” There was a hint of amused laughter in his voice, the tone almost teasing. But seeing her stifle a relieved sob, he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head. There was no way she could go home now. “You’re here now.” His voice was barely audible, but the murmur was soothing. She buried her head in his shoulder and sank into his arms. “Will you stay?” She was sure she could feel his heartbeat a little faster as he asked.

“As long as you’ll have me” she replied.


End file.
